Iranian Learners Of English Research Articles

Operationalizing L2 motivational self system: Improving EFL learners’ motivation through a vision enhancement program

L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) has offered novel pathways for motivating language learners by introducing the concepts of possible selves, vision and imagery. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a vision-based motivational intervention program in improving motivational attributes of Iranian learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). A total of 51 male and female adult Iranian EFL learners formed the experimental and control groups. The experimental groups received the treatment during an academic semester. The intervention consisted of six steps and included various tasks and activities to improve the students’ vision and imagination. A Likert scale self-report questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention. Marginal qualitative data was also collected for a more in-depth analysis of the results. The results of ANCOVAs alongside the qualitative analysis demonstrated that the vision-based intervention was greatly effective in enhancing second language (L2) learners’ vision and motivation. The participants’ ideal L2 self, attitude toward L2 learning, imagery capacity and intended effort improved, while their ought-to L2 self remained unchanged. The outcomes suggest that it is possible to conduct vision-based interventions that contribute to improving L2 learners’ future self-guides and motivation. Finally, the relevant pedagogical implications are discussed.

Responses to compliments in online English chat: a comparison between Iranian EFL learners and native English speakers

ABSTRACTThe main objective of the study is to uncover responding patterns to compliments among Iranian learners of English (EFL learners) and native English speakers observed through online video chats on Skype. This study’s participants were 40 Iranian EFL learners and 40 English speakers. The findings revealed that the compliment responses (CRs) of EFL learners were similar to those of English speakers with regard to global strategies (both accepted the compliments largely). However, it was revealed that EFL learners’ CRs were to some degree under the influence of Iranian cultural values such as sha’n (dignity), shekasteh-nafsi (modesty), tarof (insincere offer), and adab-va-ehteram (courtesy and respect). These cultural values act as a moderator variable that Persianised the English responses that EFL learners provided. The findings revealed that the responding patterns of participants do not change when the medium of communication (e.g. face-to-face vs. online interactions) changes. This study also shows that for those who speak English as a foreign language, pragmatic competence may be greatly regulated by L1 conventions, the ramification of which is cross-cultural miscommunication and pragmatic failure manifested in L2. This study contributes to learning and teaching pragmatics in the EFL context.

ROLES OF GENERAL LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, AURAL VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE, AND METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS IN L2 LEARNERS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Investigating the learner variables involved in second language (L2) listening comprehension can lead to a better understanding of the difficulties that learners may encounter while listening to an L2. In this line, this study aimed to examine the roles of some important learner variables (i.e., general language proficiency, aural vocabulary knowledge, and the metacognitive awareness) in L2 listening comprehension. To this end, 100 lower-intermediate Iranian learners of English were selected. Three tests (i.e., Oxford Placement Test, Aural Vocabulary Knowledge Test, and a listening comprehension test) were administered to the participants. A translated version of Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) was also used to measure the participants’ metacognitive awareness in L2 listening. Results of Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that of the variables examined, aural vocabulary knowledge was the strongest correlate with L2 listening and was also the most valuable in predicting variance in L2 listening comprehension scores (r = .46, p < .05) (β = .40, p < .01), while metacognitive awareness correlated weakly with L2 listening.

Grammatical proficiency and access to extended projections in Iranian learners of English as a second language

Linguistically and cognitively speaking, functional (extended) projections are more abstract and structurally more complicated than lexical projections. Acquiring functional projections could be pr...

Acquisition of French (L3) Prepositions by Iranian Learners of English

Acquisition of French (L3) Prepositions by Iranian Learners of English

The Effect of Self-efficacy on Intermediate EFL Learner’s Reading Comprehension Improvement: Evidence from Iranian English Learners

This study was an attempt to examine the effect of self-efficacy on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. Reading comprehension plays a significant role in educational success. In spite of its importance, students still have difficulties in understanding texts. One solution to the problem of poor reading comprehension is the learning of reading strategies. The current study examined the effect of summarizing strategy on reading comprehension of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Pretest-posttest design was employed to scrutinize the possible improvements of two classes of intermediate English learners (one experimental and one control group) as reading comprehension was concerned. Two groups were exposed to the same reading test as the pre and the post-test, however, only the experimental groups received the special treatment regarding to promote their self-efficacy. After the application of the study’s treatment, data analysis process initiated which indicated that experimental groups who received treatment had a better performance than the control group on the final reading test. In addition, the findings suggested that self-efficacy were same in male and female participants. The findings of the study indicated that summarizing strategy has a significant effect on learners’ reading comprehension. Generally, the findings imply that self-efficacy can positively affect the reading comprehension ability of the intermediate EFL learners.

Intercultural Awareness of Iranian English Language Learners: &lt;br&gt; An Exploration

The present paper reports on a qualitative study investigating how Iranian learners of English as a foreign language understand culture and the extent to which this understanding meets the needs of efficient intercultural communication. In order to gather data, in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with eight participants. The interviews were designed and thematically analyzed using Baker’s (2011) model of intercultural awareness. The model, which served as the analytical framework of the study, has been used to account for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to communicate through English as a lingua franca. Based on the findings of the study, the main elements of the model are relevant in accounting for intercultural awareness—which varied among the participants—not only in English as a lingua franca setting but also in contexts where partners with different cultural backgrounds speak the same first language. Moreover, with the aim of developing learners’ intercultural awareness, the policies and practices of English as a foreign language teaching in Iran need to be revised.

The Influence of L2 English Acquisition of the Request Speech Act on Persian Preschool Children

In Iran the age of learning English as a foreign language is decreasing yearly. It is obvious that learning English at a very early age is a most appropriate time to start. The investigation in this study is focused on the speech act of request. Instructional effects of learning request strategies are assessed in preschoolers who received instruction to find out whether the exposure to the foreign language learning enhances the development of request strategy use and brings about changes in their first language strategy use features. The data were collected from 10 preschool Iranian learners of English as a foreign language. The participants of the study took a two-semester speaking course in an academic setting in Iran. The study had a pretest and posttest design in which 10 conversations were used including polite request strategies of English to analyze instructional effects on the learners’ first language after the posttest, by comparing and measuring the backward transfer against the pretest results. The oral task was in the form of role plays which were also utilized for communicative practice with the learners. The data were rated for the extent of a foreign language effect on the first language by experienced tutors and linguistic analyses were done to identify the foreign language components of request strategies features in the first language production. Results showed that frequent use of English request strategy features in the first language was an indication of L2 students’ beneficial experience in their L1.

Politeness Strategies in Remindings A Cross-cultural Study of Iranian EFL learners and Americans

This cross-cultural study examines the speech act of reminding by Iranian English learners and American English native speakers. The primary objective is to study how Iranian EFL learners perform much understudied speech act of reminding in English. To this end, the participants are selected from Iranian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and American English native speakers through an open-ended questionnaire in the form of a Discourse Completion Task (DCT).The collected data are then analyzed based on a framework adopted from Peterson’s (2012) study of speech act of reminding. The findings show that whereas English native speakers utilize more indirect strategies in reminding their interlocutors to cope with the required activity, EFL learners tend to use direct strategies more frequently.

Social-Personalized versus Computer-Personalized Methods to Teaching English Learners' Reading Comprehension Ability

The present study was out to compare new approaches computer assisted language learning, personalized learning program versus traditional approach to teaching second language reading comprehension ability among Iranian English learners. The participants in this study were 90 students who studied at a university of Applied Sciences and Technology in Rasht, Iran. All the participants were randomly assigned into three groups, one control group and two experimental groups. The control group went through a traditional method of teaching reading skill in the classroom. The first experimental group received a personalized learning instruction. The second experimental group went through a personalized learning program supported by a computer assisted language learning system (CALL). At the end of the treatment, a posttest was administrated to three groups to find out the effects of the new instruction. The results of this study revealed that the second experimental group who received treatment through CALL- based personalized learning approach.

Dynamic assessment of writing ability in transcendence tasks based on Vygotskian perspective

This study aimed to investigate the dynamic assessment of writing proficiency in Iranian English learnersˊ writing ability in transcendence tasks based on Vygotskian perspective. The questions which this research intended to answer were: 1) Does dynamic assessment affect Iranian English learners’ writing ability? 2) Do the results of dynamic Assessment differ from the results of a non – dynamic assessment? 3) If learners progress, are they able to maintain their improved performance in the transcendence tasks when the assessment context changes? To answer the questions, 60 learners were selected following an Oxford Placement Test, and then randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group received dynamic assessment based instruction while control group received a non-dynamic writing instruction. After eight sessions, both groups were post tested and underwent a static and a dynamic assessment. The results indicated the outperformance of the experimental group over the control one. After two weeks, the experimental group undertook two transcendence tasks in order to trace their growing proficiency in more difficult and to increase innovative tasks. Moreover, upon analyzing the protocols, an inventory of meditational moves was detected as a posterior. As the result, the study suggests the use of dynamic assessment as a development-oriented procedure to diagnose and develop the learnersˊ emerging abilities.

A Comparative Study of Thematicity in the Argumentative Writing of University EFL Students and the Introduction Section of Research Articles

The present study aimed to find out thematic organization and progression in the argumentative writing of Iranian learners of English, representing two levels of language proficiency, and the introduction section of published Research articles (RAs) of Applied Linguistics. For this aim, 60 articles were downloaded from three journals and also 92 MA and BA students majoring in English Language Teaching and English Literature were selected. Then, three topics were used for gathering data from them. Of the written argumentative compositions, only 67 were chosen for the next phase of the study. These compositions together with the RAs were analyzed based on Halliday’s (1985) model of thematic structure and the revised model of Danes’ (1974) thematic progression patterns. The results of Chi-square suggested that there was a significant difference in the thematic structure of the essays written by MA students and the introduction section of RAs. It was concluded that thematicity can be effectively applied in classrooms to help students in writing. Students will know where they are losing their effectiveness in their arguments due to problems with either thematic progression or thematic selection, or both. The findings of this study can be effectively applied in teaching writing skills.

Can Scaffolding Mechanisms of Structuring and Problematizing Facilitate the Transfer of Genre-based Knowledge to Another Discourse Mode?

A pivotal issue in research on writing concerns whether the knowledge of how genres are constructed and learned in one discipline/genre can be transferred to other contexts, genres, and disciplines. Yet, studies conducted so far have not presented a unified and complete view of how various writing instructional techniques can result in transferability. This study examined the effect of structuring and problematizing scaffolding mechanisms and the mediating effect of learners’ proficiency level on a cohort of Iranian English learners’ ability to transfer the acquired genre-based knowledge to a new discourse mode. Four groups of thirty pre-intermediate learners chosen from eight intact classes and four groups of advanced learners selected from eight intact classes participated in this study. The performance of the participants in structuring scaffolds, problematizing scaffolds, and combined structuring and problematizing scaffolds conditions were compared to that of the control groups. The results of a two-way ANCOVA revealed that scaffolding mechanisms could significantly result in genre-transferability. The results also suggested that scaffolding mechanisms brought about the best results when offered simultaneously. Besides, the result yielded no significantly moderating effect for learners’ proficiency level. Implications for classrooms are discussed.

English

Collocations are among the pervasive features of languages, and English seems to be particularly rich in such multi-word lexemes. Since they have not received due attention pedagogically, this research aimed at identifying problems facing advanced Iranian learners of English in producing collocations. Over 100 pages of materials written by 30 participants were carefully studied and a list of lexical collocations was extracted. The list was then analyzed and different types of correct and incorrect lexical collocations were determined. Results showed that Iranian advanced learners of English do have serious problems with English collocations. The problematic collocations were identified and assigned to six types of collocations. The most problematic type was Adjective + Noun combinations and the least problematic ones were those of Adverb + Adjective and Noun +of + Noun. The results of the study can have theoretical and pedagogical implications for syllabus designers, translators, material writers and, of course, teachers of the English language. Key words: Lexical collocations, collocational errors, lexical combinations, Iranian EFL learners.

The Effects of Task Type on the Quality of Resolving Language‐Related Episodes and Vocabulary Learning

This study examined how task type can affect the ways in which learners resolve lexical language‐related episodes (LREs) and consequently how their vocabulary learning in the LREs is influenced. An intact class of Iranian learners (N = 24) of English as a foreign language were paired up to write a composition and complete a cloze task. The researchers recorded all collaborative dialogues and transcribed and analyzed them to detect lexical LREs. The LREs were divided into cognitive conflict episodes (CCEs) and non‐CCEs on the basis of how they were resolved and engaged the learners. The results indicate a higher number of CCEs, entailing elaborate engagement, in the collaborative dialogues over the composition. The results also reveal that vocabulary gains were greater in composition. The authors suggest that language teachers develop tasks inducing higher cognitive conflicts.

An Investigation of Iranian Learners’ Utilization of Politeness Strategies and Power Relations in Refusal Speech Act across Different Communicative Situations

This study aimed to examine the L2 pragmatic knowledge of Iranian intermediate learners of English through the performance of the speech act of refusals in English across diverse situations. One hundred and twenty five Iranian learners whose language proficiency was at the intermediate level took part in this research. The required data were collected by mean of an Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and a Written Discourse Completion Task (WDCT). The results showed that most respondents tended to use more indirect strategies (55.5%) to refuse another speaker’s suggestion or request either with higher or lower power or within different social distance. They utilized direct strategies with 24.1% and adjuncts to refusals with 18.9% respectively. The findings are illustrative of the fact that the variations in the use of different strategies are less seen in the data. In other words, learners employed almost the same semantic formulas or pragmalinguistic forms to refuse affairs in most of the situations. It can be said that learners might not have enough awareness or consciousness regarding the use of different pragmalinguistic forms in performing the refusal since they did not have sufficient understanding of context and contextual factors involved as well. Therefore, the results can suggest that the learners lack sufficient pragmatic knowledge in confronting different situations. The implication of this study is for Iranian language instructors to teach a variety of speech acts’ strategies, politeness strategies and draw learners’ their attention to the contextual features in opting out the appropriate strategy in a variety of situations.

An inquiry into the efficiency of WhatsApp for self‐ and peer‐assessments of oral language proficiency

AbstractSocial networking applications such as WhatsApp have been extensively used for language research; however, they have rarely been applied for language assessment purposes. To explore the efficiency of WhatsApp for assessment purposes, 30 Iranian English learners doing self‐ and peer‐assessments on WhatsApp are studied. The changes and the reasons for the changes in their attitudes towards the two assessment types are also investigated. In a multi‐phase study, the participants were trained on the new concepts of mobile‐assisted self‐ and peer‐assessments. They were also involved in the concurrent tasks of self‐ and peer‐assessments as well as think‐aloud protocols and filled out four attitude questionnaires before and after their involvement in the two assessment types. Finally, they were interviewed for the reasons of change(s) in their attitudes. The t‐test and think‐aloud results show that though the participants assigned different grades to themselves and their peers, this is not a procedural difference. The questionnaire results show that the participants generally adopted negative attitudes towards mobile‐assisted assessments after being involved in them. They also gave various reasons for the change(s) in their attitudes. The results can substantially contribute to the ongoing debates on the use of alternative assessments through mobile device applications.

Calling Iranian learners of L2 English: effect of gloss type on lexical retention and reading performance under different learning conditions

This study sought to compare how three different gloss types (text–picture, text–audio and text–picture–audio) affected English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The study also compared how results on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition differed across three learning conditions (i.e., incidental, intentional and explicit instruction). A between‐groups design was employed with four groups (N = 135) of Iranian university learners of L2 English. The participants (with upper‐intermediate proficiency level) read English texts. Written recall and multiple‐choice questions were used to measure reading comprehension; vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS) and contextualized vocabulary knowledge test (CVKT) were used to assess vocabulary acquisition. Results of statistical analyses revealed that while the text–picture–audio gloss type consistently resulted in better vocabulary learning and reading comprehension, the learning conditions varied in terms of their immediate and delayed effect on vocabulary and reading scores. This study suggests that learner performances across gloss types are condition specific and provides both pedagogical and theoretical implications.What is already known about this topic Electronic glosses foster reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. There are different positions about the effectiveness of form focused instruction in grammar, with the focus on forms approach having a higher acceptable rate in SLA. But, this issue has been rarely researched in vocabulary acquisition. What this paper adds This study supports the complementary nature of dual annotations in vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. This study extends the issue of form focused instruction to vocabulary learning by comparing the incidental, intentional and incidental–intentional learning orientations. This study evaluates the interaction between the multiple gloss types and the learning orientations. Implications for theory, policy or practice This study provides both pedagogical and theoretical implications.

The Effect of Dyadic and Triadic Interaction on Iranian EFL Learners’ Oral Proficiency

Knowing about interaction and applying it among EFL learners, is one of the crucial and important factors which needs to be taken seriously in English education. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Dyadic and Triadic Interaction between young Iranian English learners and to find out how the different forms of interaction between the learners in classroom practice can enhance their oral proficiency by drawing on some theories such as Social Learning, Social Development Theory and Interaction Hypothesis. 61 Iranian young learners participated in the study, taking part in two interviews that were based on Young Learners English Test YLE Cambridge University (Starter). The subjects’ interactional behaviors were determined by the researcher with a checklist which named Learner’s Interaction. Multivariate and discriminate analyses of both experimental groups and control groups’ scores indicated that dyadic interaction between young learners could enhance their oral proficiency more effectively in comparison with that of control group in which all activities were conducted individually, but it didn’t improve learners’ oral proficiency significantly in comparison with Triadic interaction. The results can be used to pave the way for adopting effective educational planning and consequently enhancing teaching education system and improving teachers' practice and learning in EFL contexts.

The Effect of Different Types of Written Scaffolds on EFL Learners’ Perception of Writing Self-Regulatory Skills

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to investigate the impact of different types of scaffolds on the writing regulatory skills of a cohort of Iranian learners of English (N = 120). The article reports a comparison of the pretest and posttest performance of learners in 4 experimental conditions—namely, the metacognitive scaffolds, conceptual scaffolds, procedural scaffolds, and strategic scaffolds conditions—in terms of their scores on a self-report questionnaire. We analyzed data using 2 one-way analyses of variance and 4 paired-samples t tests. The results indicated that written scaffolds in general statistically significantly improved the learners’ perceptions of their ability to regulate their writing in another language process. On the whole, metacognitive written scaffolds proved more effective at increasing the learners’ writing self-regulatory skills.